Venezuela revokes invitation for EU election mission to observe presidential election

Venezuela has revoked its invitation for a European Union mission to observe the country’s upcoming presidential election, in which President Nicolás Maduro is seeking reelection, the head of the National Electoral Council (CNE) said.

The head of the National Electoral Council, Elvis Amoroso, cited economic sanctions imposed by the 27-nation bloc as the reason for withdrawing the invitation. The EU had not yet accepted the invite that was extended earlier this year.

The move follows the EU’s temporary lifting of sanctions on four electoral officials, including Amoroso earlier this month. Despite this, Amoroso and the Venezuelan government rejected the partial relief, demanding a complete removal of all sanctions. Subsequently, the government-controlled legislature approved a measure to revoke the EU’s observer invitation.

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Amoroso said that the decision to signal that EU representatives are unwelcome as long as “genocidal sanctions” remain against Venezuela. The EU had not yet accepted the observation invitation extended earlier this year. The revocation underscores the tension between Venezuela and the EU over sanctions and electoral legitimacy.

An EU statement called on the National Electoral Council to reconsider its decision. “The Venezuelan people should be able to choose their next president in credible, transparent and competitive elections, supported by international observation, including that of the European Union, which has a long and distinguished record of independent and impartial observation,” said the statement posted on the platform X.

Venezuela’s electoral body earlier this year set the presidential election for July 28 and extended invitations to various organizations to observe the contest. Those decisions fulfilled some of the provisions of an agreement signed last year between Maduro’s government and the U.S.-backed Unitary Platform opposition coalition.

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Under the agreement signed in the Caribbean island of Barbados, both sides vowed to work toward improving conditions for a free and fair election. Still, Venezuela’s government continuously tested the limits of the accord, by, among other actions, blocking the candidacy of the president’s chief opponent, María Corina Machado.

With inputs from agencies.